Society of Women Engineers Selects UFTI Graduate Student to Attend Academic Leadership Program

Ria Kontou has done it once again.  Last month we reported that Kontou was selected for the Future Industry Spotlight Award by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). This month she has been accepted to attend the Academic Leadership for Women in Engineering (ALWE) hosted by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), which also includes a travel grant to attend the program.

At ALWE, Kontou learned about best  practices for success and persistence in academia and the importance of networking across institutions. The fourth year doctoral candidate has been actively involved at UF in several leadership roles, including serving as vice president of the WTS Advancing Women in Transportation student chapter at the University of Florida and has created a mentorship program with the WTS Central Florida Chapter in Orlando, Fla. Kontou was also invited to shadow Marcia Ferranto, the former president of WTS International during the annual WTS International Conference. Kontou will be defending her dissertation this month.  Her research work focuses on determining policies that maximize the societal benefits received from the adoption and operation of plug-in electric vehicles.

Congratulations, Ria!